Tsaravahiny Center or "the centre where foreigners feel at home," is a eco and ethno-tourist site situated near the village of Mangily, in the Menabe region of the southwest coast of Madagascar (ABM 2008). It was established in 1995 by the Association Belgique Madagascar (ABM) for the good of the village, with a school, and health center, a well, a fish market, and formal training.

Due to financial difficulties, the management of the center was passed to Fanamby in 2006 (Mahavy 2008). The current transition period presents an ideal opportunity to analyze the activities and reevaluate the center according to the goals of the organization, the tourists, and the villagers.

During the weeks I spent at the center, I was charged with gathering the perspectives of all parties involved to determine which changes were necessary. I had three roles to fill at once: a communications intern for the non-profit organization Fanamby, an American ecotourist, and a temporary Mangily villager.

Parallel to the goals of the organization of Fanamby, the goal of my academic study was to discover the effects of development and community-based tourism on the community of Mangily. I explored this theme according to the culture, the mentality of the people, the quality of life, the natural environment, and the eco and ethno-tourism industry in the village.

My results are by no means exhaustive due to the limitations of my time, resources and expertise, but I hope that this journalistic work will be enlightening for a general audience and useful for Fanamby, who hosted me so generously.